Rex Ryan on Calvin Pryor being tentative in Jets-Giants: 'I told him just to fire his gun a little bit'

Newark Star-Ledger | Aug 23

Calvin Pryor, the Jets’ rookie safety whom they drafted in the first round, had an auspicious debut in last week’s second preseason game, at the Bengals. Jets coach Rex Ryan raved about Pryor immediately after the game. It was evident to anybody who watched that Pryor played great. You didn’t need to be an NFL head coach.

On Friday night, against the Giants, Pryor started for the first time in a Jets uniform, pairing with Dawan Landry as the safety duo in the first-team secondary. At first glance, Pryor didn’t pop off the field as a disruptive presence in quite the same way he did against the Bengals, when he played with the starters but didn’t start.

Pryor did have five tackles (four solo) and defended a pass against the Giants. Obviously, more of his contributions (or mistakes) could show up when the Jets’ coaches assess the film of this game. But in the immediate aftermath, Ryan agreed that Pryor did not excel as much as he did in Cincinnati, though Ryan is far from discouraged.